Homeowners out thousands of dollars after botched renovation
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - One metro area family said their home was left in shambles after a months long renovation worth thousands of dollars.
Lesla Tilley said her family's problems started in the fall.
"My husband is a 100% disabled Vietnam veteran, and we hired a contractor to completely renovate our home. We used most of our savings on this renovation for the purpose of helping him function in our home long term," said Tilley in an interview Thursday with KFOR.
She said the family moved out of the home for the renovations to be done by Precision Property and Construction LLC and paid over $74,000 for the updates.
However, Tilley said she quickly began to notice problems, and months later the house is in total disrepair.
"This was a fully functioning home with everything in it working [but now] flooring has been installed incorrectly [and] the plumbing and electrical is not up to code," she added.
"[The contractor] was overcharging us for materials, and charging for materials he didn’t buy. There were no permits, all [of the] plumbing and electrical is in violation [and] he put in almost 1300 square feet of tile incorrectly," she said adding that a refrigerator and hot water tank were also left in the middle of the living room floor.
"We have a kitchen sink and that's it. There's no sheetrock, no electrical, no plumbing, no toilets and sinks, no faucets."
Tilley said the contractor has refused to acknowledge the problems or give any refunds, adding that several work permits were never pulled and she was forced to pay off at least building material balance on her own.
"He represented himself as someone who had twenty years experience and was knowledgeable on every aspect of remodeling a home. He was going to give us a fabulous house [but] now he's walked away with all of our money and our house is a wreck and I'm speechless to think that this could just happen," she added.
KFOR called the contractor who said he could produce proof that the Tilleys breached their contract and he was moving forward with the work as planned until the they canceled the contract.
"I was two weeks from finishing to where they can move back in, and she changed the budget like five or six times. And she was very indecisive," said the owner who said he did not believe any of the work he was doing required permits, including plumbing and electrical work.
He did not provide a copy of the contract he claimed the Tilleys did not honor to KFOR.
"I tried my best to make her happy. And that did not happen because she kept changing everything," he added.
"I wish obviously I had never met him and I had never let him do one thing in my house. It's been a nightmare. It's been the most horrible thing that you can imagine," said Lesla.
"We're just devastated. Losing this kind of money and having this house destroyed. There really are no words to describe it."
Oklahoma homeowners can sue for construction defects or breach of contract.
While the Tilleys told KFOR they are considering legal action, they're currently focused on getting their home in working order so they can move in again.